There are a
lot of hurdles to overcome but the one looming largest at the moment is the
future of Al Lange stadium.

The City
charter limits' leases on waterfront and parkland property to three years and
Edwards will need a longer lease to satisfy lenders and MLS.

Edwards
already has a big say on what goes on in downtown St. Pete and his recent
announcement about the Rowdies, and a new or revised stadium is already raising
a few eyebrows.

No doubt, Edwards
will do a first class job the with Al Lang renovations.

The biggest
issue will be more political than practical.

If he wants
to start on the stadium issue now he will dealing with the Kriseman
administration who may not be all that friendly, and you can rest assured that
all the waterfront protectors and preservationists will come out of the
woodwork with demands and requirements.

Parking and
the Beach Drive whiners are sure to be an issue.

A host of
problems that just will not seem to go away already beleaguers Kriseman and
adding a battle of little political value to him at this point may be something
he would like to avoid.

Soccer may be
popular but the soccer fans probably do not represent enough votes in St. Pete
to make a difference in what is shaping up to be a contentious mayoral race.

If he waits,
the stadium and the charter changes necessary to support the improvements are
sure to become a major issue in the next municipal election for the mayoral and
city council candidates.

So Bill
Edwards is faced with some big decisions and major challenges.

If the City
does decide to make some charter changes that will allow
Edwards long term access to the Al Lang property, those changes should be
carefully crafted to avoid unintended consequences, and the safest way is to
take the whole issue of any long-term agreement for Al Lang to the voters is as
a cautiously crafted referendum.

A long and
arduous task.

As a final
thought, if you believe in climate change and sea-level rise, Edwards may want
to think carefully about the Al Lang site. His high-priced soccer players could
be sloshing around in a couple of feet of seawater in the not too distant
future.